Engine issues

[Burbanjo]

Hello,I hope someone can help me. I had last season some problems with the engine in my '84 Hunter 27. The engine is a Westerbeke 10 two. After a very nice sailing day, the wind went down and we had go back to our marina with the engine running. As every time, the engine started very fine and runs smooth. But after 1 1/2 hr the engine suddenly died. I could start it again, but it died after less than a minute running. The wind came up a bit (

 

[Benny17441]

Diesel engines are very simple. They basically

need compression and fuel to operate. If the engine was running fine prior to shutting down I think it would be fair to say that compression should be good. It sounds like your problem is fuel and I would start with the basics, clean water separator and replace primary fuel filter. After replacing filter you will need to bleed the system to evacuate the air. Air in the fuel system could be another of your culprits but the fact that you indicate you are able to restart the engine does not point to air but to fuel not reaching the combustion chamber. Clogged filters are generally the cause of such problems but there could be a fuel pump failure. With the fuel pump you will usually get a fuel leak. Another problem could be a clogged injector but unless you are mechanically knowledgeable I would recommend that if it came to the injectors that you bring in a mechanic. How much fuel did you have in the tank? As the wind had died down I would rule out dirt stirring up inside the tank or violent wave action causing the engine to suck air but if the fuel was real low either of these could be a possibility. Cleaning and replacing the fuel filters would correct them. Good luck.

 

[Benny17441]

Diesel engines are very simple. They basically

need compression and fuel to operate. If the engine was running fine prior to shutting down I think it would be fair to say that compression should be good. It sounds like your problem is fuel and I would start with the basics, clean water separator and replace primary fuel filter. After replacing filter you will need to bleed the system to evacuate the air. Air in the fuel system could be another of your culprits but the fact that you indicate you are able to restart the engine does not point to air but to fuel not reaching the combustion chamber. Clogged filters are generally the cause of such problems but there could be a fuel pump failure. With the fuel pump you will usually get a fuel leak. Another problem could be a clogged injector but unless you are mechanically knowledgeable I would recommend that if it came to the injectors that you bring in a mechanic. How much fuel did you have in the tank? As the wind had died down I would rule out dirt stirring up inside the tank or violent wave action causing the engine to suck air but if the fuel was real low either of these could be a possibility. Cleaning and replacing the fuel filters would correct them. Good luck.

 

[Benny17441]

Diesel engines are very simple. They basically

need compression and fuel to operate. If the engine was running fine prior to shutting down I think it would be fair to say that compression should be good. It sounds like your problem is fuel and I would start with the basics, clean water separator and replace primary fuel filter. After replacing filter you will need to bleed the system to evacuate the air. Air in the fuel system could be another of your culprits but the fact that you indicate you are able to restart the engine does not point to air but to fuel not reaching the combustion chamber. Clogged filters are generally the cause of such problems but there could be a fuel pump failure. With the fuel pump you will usually get a fuel leak. Another problem could be a clogged injector but unless you are mechanically knowledgeable I would recommend that if it came to the injectors that you bring in a mechanic. How much fuel did you have in the tank? As the wind had died down I would rule out dirt stirring up inside the tank or violent wave action causing the engine to suck air but if the fuel was real low either of these could be a possibility. Cleaning and replacing the fuel filters would correct them. Good luck.

 

[s sauer]

Dirty Fuel

Probably dirty fuel or water in the fuel, maybe at the bottom of the tank.Disconnect fuel line from tank at 1st fuel filter and pump fuel into a clear plastic jug with a hand pump to see what's comming thru the fuel line. If it contains dirt, algae or water, continue pumping out the tank; flush a gallon of clean fuel thru and pump that out; do it a couple times untill you aren't getting any dirt or water. Replace the filters and bleed the system at the bleed screws on the engine filter ahead of the high pressure pump. The new filters and clean fuel should take care of the remaining crud in the tank.However, if you want a complete fix, install a cleanout before refilling the tank and clean it out by hand before refilling and installing the new filters.

 

[Paul Akers]

Dirty Fuel or...

...clogged filters from the dirty fuel.

 

[Burbanjo]

Thanks

Thank you for the replies.Fuel, that was also my initial idea. I have already changed both fuel filters and also cleaned the water seperator. But what I havn't done was replacing the fuel and cleaning the tank. That is what I will do next.Joerg

 

[Landsend]

sounds like a small air leak in the fuel system

nm